Tasting notes, September 7, 2024; Fresh French

2022 Pepiere La Pepie
On Sale for $16  
Muscadet Sèvre et Maine / Loire Valley / France 100% Melon de Bourgogne
The vines here average 40 years of age and the fruit is fermented in stainless steel before being aged for 4-5 months “sur lie”, a technique which extends the contact between the juice and leftover solids from the winemaking process.
2022 Alain Chavy Bourgogne Blanc
On Sale for $29.99
Puligny-Montrachet / Beaune / France
100% Chardonnay
Young vines from the Chavy family’s Puligny vineyards provide a portion of the fruit for this accessible Bourgogne Blanc. The wine fermented and aged for 12 months in seasoned French oak barrels.
2022 Bertrand Stehelin Sablet Blanc
On Sale for $24
Sablet / Southern Rhone Valley / France
33% Marsanne, 33% Roussanne, 34% Grenache Blanc
Sourced from a small portion of an already small 3 acre plot, Stehelin’s Sablet Blanc features Marsanne, Roussanne and Grenache Blanc in equal parts. The Marsanne brings weight, the Roussanne exotic aromatics while the Grenache Blanc imparts subtle minerality.
2017 Pavelot Dominodes Vieilles Vignes
On Sale for $60
Savigny-lès-Beaune / Beaune / France
100% Pinot Noir
The vines employed for the Dominodes Vieilles Vignes bottling were planted in 1935. The wine is fermented using native yeasts and  aged for 12 months in French oak of which about a third is first use.
2022 Domaine Serol Millerands
On Sale for $26.40
Côte Roannaise / Loire Valley / France
100% Gamay St. Romain
Sourced from 30-95 year-old vines planted at high altitude in granite soils of Côte Roannaise, just west of Beaujolais, this fascinating Gamay is aged for 11 months in neutral cask.
2020 Clos du Caillou Bouquet des Garrigues
On Sale for $24
Châteauneuf-du-Pape / Southern Rhone Valley / France 80% Grenache, 15% Syrah,
15% Mourvèdre, Counoise, Carignan
The vines which contribute to the Bouquet des Garrigues bottling are planted in a combination of sand, pebbles and clay. The wine is aged in a combination of large barrels for 14 months prior to bottling.